Posted by Alumni from The Atlantic
November 20, 2024
For a brief moment earlier this month, I thought an old acquaintance had passed away. I was still groggy one morning when I checked my phone to find a notification delivering the news. 'Obituary shared,' the message bluntly said, followed by his name. But when I opened my phone, I learned that he was very much still alive. Apple's latest software update was to blame: A new feature that uses AI to summarize iPhone notifications had distorted the original text message. It wasn't my acquaintance who had died, but a relative of his. That's whose obituary I had received. These notification summaries are perhaps the most visible part of Apple Intelligence, the company's long-awaited suite of AI features, which officially began to roll out last month. (It's compatible with only certain devices.) We are living in push-notification hell, and Apple Intelligence promises to collapse the incessant stream of notifications into pithy recaps. Instead of setting your iPhone aside while you shower... learn more